Sexual reproductive health in South West region

In its front page, Health News edition No.033 of July 3 2023 reports that the South West Region recorded 155 deaths in sexual reproductive health. The summary of the article on the cover page of the paper states that according to Reanne Nkwate, reproductive Health Focal Point at the South-West delegation for Public Health, figures for the 1st half of 2023 showed that 155 women died in the region while giving birth. After verification through the Publisher of the News paper, the regional Focal Point for Sexual Reproductive Health and the South West regional delegate for Public Health, the statistics presented in the article are not correct. The South West registered 20 maternal deaths in the first half of 2023.

On Wednesday July 3 2024, issue no. 033 of Health News edition, an english daily health news carried the headline: “Sexual Reproductive Health: 155 deaths South West Region recorded in South West Region in 2023”. The article published on page 3 of the newspaper quotes Reanne Nkwate as the author of the  information.

In a Whatsapp group “Communication for Health” made up of health professionals and journalists, the focal communication person for the South West posted the front page of the Health News on the July 3 2024 disclaiming the information about the sexual reproductive health in the South West for the first half of the year 2023.

Verification

In order to check this claim, DataCheck contacted, through a telephone conversation, Desire Effala, the Publisher of  Health News about the information on the front page of issue no. 033. Desire Effala revealed that the figures are not true. “It is not correct, I called the Delegate to give us the fact, for now I have not received the answer so I am waiting”, he explains. Effala added: “The person who wrote the article made an error, I will correct it awaiting the response from the delegate.”

The same day of publication,  Reanne Nkwate, the Reproductive Health Focal Point of the South West delegation signed a statement contradicting the newspaper’s information. “ I want to make it clear that I do not recognize this information as coming from me, and given to any press organ. The said organ should contact the Regional Delegation for Authentic Information”, the document reads.

In order to get more information on the subject, DataCheck searched the information of maternal mortality in the South West Region of Cameroon for the first half of 2023 through Google search engine but could not find an article carrying the exact figures although found other articles like that which is published by Unfpa on sexual reproductive health in Buea. The article talks about the need for protection and sexual reproductive health services for women and girls in Buea, the capital of the South West Region of Cameroon.

DataCheck contacted Reanne Nkwate through whatsapp messaging in order to verify information which has been published. She replied: “No”, without saying more. With the same objective in mind, we called Dr. Filbert Eko Eko, the South West regional delegate of Public Health“The information is not true and to get the statistics, meet the focal person for Sexual Reproductive Health”, he responds.

When asked what the real data is on reproductive health in the South West region, Dr Filbert Eko Eko referred us to the focal point.  Reanne Nkwate answer: “The South West registered 20 maternal deaths in the first half of 2023, giving a maternal ratio of 148 per 100 000 live births.”

In conclusion, the information that the South West region recorded 155 deaths in sexual reproduction as reported by Health News on their edition No 033 is not true. According to the reproductive health Focal Point of the South West region, the South West registered 20 maternal deaths in the first half of 2023.

By Boris-Kaloff Batata

This article was written as part of the 1st cohort of Fact-checking academies, initiated by ADISI-Cameroun with technical support from DataCheck and financial backing from the French Embassy.